This makes high heels more comfortable than sneakers

the essentials in brief

Yes it works. Some can walk in high heels for a day. This is a matter of practice - and many swear by expensive shoe brands that are said to be almost as comfortable as a pair of sneakers.

Claudia Schulz can explain how this is possible. She is spokeswoman for the German Shoe Institute and the Federal Association of the Shoe and Leather Goods Industry.

In an interview, she explains which factors you should consider when it comes to the wearing comfort of pumps and high heels. And she reveals why a centime piece can help when buying shoes.

Question: Why are some branded high heels so comfortable to wear?

Claudia Schulz: Good quality is important, I can definitely subscribe to that. Because the pumps are then more ergonomically shaped than inexpensive high heels. Sometimes I even walk better with some pumps than in sneakers.

But it's not about the right brand, it's about the equipment being right.

I myself have pumps from different brands, also with huge price differences. So I can't automatically say that the very expensive branded pumps are so much more comfortable.

For example, it is important that there is soft padding in the forefoot area. This equipment is not necessarily available with very inexpensive pumps. Sometimes they're bone-hard.

A soft foam mass that is worked in between the sole and the footbed is ideal. A so-called memory foam, which forms back after wearing, is also good. So the soft wearing comfort is available again the next day.

Pumps are often more comfortable, with arches that are slightly higher on the side. And the heel cap should be soft and integrated into the inner leather. Unfortunately, if the cap is too hard, it often causes blisters.

Then it can still depend on the materials: With leather as a natural material, there is the possibility that it can stretch a bit.

Synthetic or even patent leather just isn't as supple. So I have to reckon with this shoe not adapting to my foot over time, but staying bone hard.

Question: When do high heels fit properly?

Schulz: A sign that the shoe actually fits is when I stand on the ball of my foot and heel at the same time. And I think it's very important that the shoe sits well at the back of the heel.

Some say they buy high heels a bit smaller so they don't slip out at the back. I definitely advise against it. Because then the shoe pinches all the more elsewhere, and you certainly don't enjoy it.

But it's also not good if you slip out at the back easily. This makes wearing it for a long time very difficult, because then you automatically claw your toes into the front of the shoe. You should therefore make sure that the heel is well enclosed by the shoe at the back.

But there should be a little space in the front of the shoe for this. Specifically, it is always said: When you try on the shoe, there should still be a thumb's width of space at the front of the big toe.

For my taste, the thumb width is a bit too much, because then you quickly slip out the back. But a Rappen piece is a good guide. Above all: Thumbs are of different widths, but a centime piece is a centime piece.

And I advise that you walk a longer lap in the shoe in the shop. If possible, you should do this on different floors, maybe even walk up a flight of stairs.

Because it's a completely different matter whether you're walking on a smooth floor or on a carpet.

Question: Are there any tricks to make the desired pumps more comfortable?

Schulz: If the heel of the shoe is not well enclosed, you can help yourself with leather or silicone inserts that you stick to the back of the shoe at heel level.

What I also use from time to time: You put padding for the middle foot on the sole behind the ball of your foot, they are called pads.

This allows me to improve the fit of the pump. There are also these soft gel pads that you put in the front of the shoe and thus relieve the ball of the foot.